whats a good inexpensive stream cleaner that will make my carpet look like new again! we moved into our apartment almost a year ago and it was a very rainy muddy day, ever since my carpets have just been plain nasty looking, its only the livingroom and diningroom though. What can i get that will actually work
I decided last year to do that very thing and researched carpet steamers and scrubbers on Consumer reports. Their finding was that NO home carpet cleaner was even close to the cleaning power of the rental steam cleaners that can be rented at grocery and pharmacies. (They did advise to inspect closely for worn or dirty units). But beyond that - they said that having Stanley Steemer out was far beyond the cleaning of the rentals. That's what I did, and I have to agree, having used both rental steamers and an older home carpet scrubber at our own home and on rental property carpets.
Personal carpet shampooers are only good for touch up cleanings. They do not get out the down deep soils. Which would not work for you in this case. If you purchase one, be sure to get one that heats up the water, Bissell does make an alright product. The rental ones are a bit better, but still are not able to get down deep and do not pull as much water out as they should, leaving moisture in the carpet that can cause bacteria. Consider having your carpet professionally cleaned at least once a year, and use your own carpet shampooer for touch ups.
Vacuum the carpet, remove all the superficial dirt especially in traffic areas. At Home Depot you can rent a machine to stream the carpet and can buy the detergent. Choose a detergent with anti mould and antimicrobial agent.
We have a townhouse and 2 dogs who go out alot so we have similar problems. We have the Bissel proheat steamer and we like it. The first time you use it is amazing. Make sure that you vacuum really well beforehand. We use ours about every 6 weeks and does make a huge difference. It will not get everysingle stain out. But, it will pick up all the water/soap that it puts down if you do the pick up pass very soon after you do the put down pass. So do smaller (like a 3ft x 6ft section) at a time instead of putting down water and soap over the whole room and then trying to pick up the solution. You can always go back over an area if you want.
